West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Dare I ask "What S&D focus"? Given most of my childhood train trips were on the S&D, I see very little on the WSR that looks like the S&D I remember. One loco is hardly a "focus" and surely the line can be permitted to indulge in pretending to be the S&D once every ten years or so

Steve

 

The focus alleged in an earlier post and which, from a distance, one gets more of an impression of than is obviously the reality.


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Also they often neither know nor care why the carriages are of a certain colour... They just want a ride on 'the train'...

But don't forget, without 'Jo Public' generating the day to day operating revenue there would be no railway to need appeals or share offers etc. You'd probably just end up with something like a working museum type arrangement for the enthusiast.

 

As a Shareholder I want any event to be profitable. If that means having SR era galas, Diesel Galas or whatever then bring them on.

The GWR ceased to exist many decades ago the WSR is now a 20 mile odd heritage line facing massive infrastructure costs just to keep its head above water. As such it needs to concentrate on reducing costs and ensuring any operation maximises profit even at the expense of sacred cows. Away from Galas the bread and butter customers who provide 90odd percent of our income do not care about jointed track, or if the Loco pulled trains over the line 60 odd years ago. They do care the stations they use are neat and tidy, look like the 'vintage' stations they see on TV costume series regarding signage etc and want to travel in trains which are clean, have bright upholstery do not having peeling paint on roofs etc. Customer perceptions and needs are the kings for long term survival.

Brian

 

Doesn’t it just show both groups are essential? “Jo Public” might pay the revenue cost of running, but the business functions only because some poor benighted gricer enthusiast (to coin an oft-used phrase) has got up at 5am to light up an engine(*) unpaid and probably paying considerably for the privilege in travel, clothing, possibly accommodation etc.

It never ceases to amaze (but puzzle) me how it seems fashionable on this of all forums to somehow do down the contribution of enthusiasts, despite the fact that heritage railways as we know them would be essentially operationally and financially unviable without them. Put simply, without them we would have but a fraction of the opportunity to travel on heritage vehicles we do.

(*) or myriad other volunteer roles.

Tom

 

Without jo public there would be no preserved railways.

 

Without the public there wouldn't be any railways!
Most heritage lines have had a fair amount of local publicity I believe, but in recent times the publicity about steam railways has been national and very frequent. I am sure that many paying passengers are more cognisant about steam operated railways now than in earlier days of preservation and consequently their expectations are higher and more precise.
.

 

Totally concur with you on that, Tom. What is it with this desire to bash those who do so much for our heritage railway scene, I cannot see the rhyme or reason for it. But as always the stalwarts will prevail, despite all this totally unessesary knocking.

 

And without enthusiasts there would be no preserved railways either - I agree entirely with Tom, you need to keep both happy.

 

Just be thankful that railway enthusiasts aren't as tribalistic as football fans.

 

The issue I have with this argument is what if every line did that? If lines exclusively ran locomotives authentic to that particular route, then some locos might well not have a home. Are you saying both 7Fs should only run on SDJR metals, and therefore two large, powerful locomotives should be confined to a short stretch of track out of Midsomer Norton? That the Severn Valley should evict 34027, 42968, 43106 and 46443? That Black 5s have no place on the NYMR, Mid Hants or Llangollen? That we ban the Tanfield and Foxfield and other Industrial heritage railways from ever running passenger trains? (Yes, I am being over the top, but that's because I think the 'concentrate on the personal heritage appearance argument' is a little over the top).
In recent years, 44422 and 53809 were (as far as I know) arrivals at the railway overhauled and ready for action. No railway in their right mind would turn down the offer of a medium to long term resident which they had not had to overhaul, but was ready to enter traffic. From their marketing department's perspective, the fact that these would complement an already resident SDJR loco, and the 50th anniversary of the SDJR closure was coming up and there was a marketing opportunity for a gala there. In my book, they have done nothing wrong but simply made sensible economical decisions to ensure the railway's timetable can be met, which is the most basic of requirements of a railway. From an unromantic perspective, anything else is just a bonus.
At present, the majority of locomotives at the WSR, whether operational or otherwise are (based on the listings on Wikipedia) of GWR descent. I do not think there has been a time in my lifetime where GW locos have not been present at the WSR. Most of their coaches are current in chocolate and cream. The WSR has, in my opinion, been sufficiently faithful to its heritage, and yet has provided sufficient variety to make it a bit more interesting to visit.

 

That's my point. If you've got many railways which can provide a similarly 'authentic' GW experience to the WSR, it's less unique, especially as quite a number are in the same area (by which I am meaning within about 2 hours drive) as the WSR. Therefore, if the WSR chooses to try and do more than average to replicate what things might have been like on the SDJR, that gives it a USP, which can mean the difference between an enthusiast driving a few hours to visit a railway which gives an experience few other railways do, and them just visiting a nearer railway to themselves which gives pretty much the same experience as the WSR

 

I'm not so sure you are right.

PH

 

A lot depends on how you define "tribalistic", of course, but I don't think even you would suggest that even the most extreme railway enthusiasts like to fight in the way that extreme football supporters seem to!

 

I think that suggests something about railway enthusiasts being civilised, not that they aren’t tribalistic.


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The pen is mightier than than the sword!

 

And the keyboard?


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What colour is the pen, and does it have a copper ring around the top?

 

My keyboard has a copper surround.

 

Even more powerful.